Mine ventilation control system

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a ventilation control system and more particularly and specifically to ventilation control curtain support members. The curtains and support members are used as line brattices, check curtains and temporary stoppings to create a flow path for ventilating air to the working face of the mine. The flow path is such as to direct air down one side of the mine and return the air on the opposite side by traversing the mine at the working face to thereby remove harmful gases and dust therefrom.

United States Patent Burgess, Jr.

[ Jan. 25, 1972 [54] MINE VENTILATION CONTROL SYSTEM [72] Inventor: James V. Burgess, Jr., PO. Box 385, Madison, W. Va. 25130 [22] Filed: May 11, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 36,339

[52] U.S. Cl ..98/50 [51] Int. Cl. 21f 17/00 [58] Field of Search ..98/50; 299/12, 185/423; 52/222, 238, 240

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,621,725 12/1952 Shacikoski ..98/50 Burgess, Jr ..98/50 Burgess ..98/50 Primary Examiner-Edward .l Michael Attorney-Wilson & Fraser 5 7] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a ventilation control system and more particularly and specifically to ventilation control curtain support members. The curtains and support members are used as line brattices, check curtains and temporary stoppings to create a flow path for ventilating air to the working lucc ufthc mine. The flow path is such as to direct uir down one side of the mine and return the air on the opposite side by traversing the mine at the working face to thereby remove harmful gases and dust therefrom.

5 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures HTENIEU was 1972 28 FIG.5 FIG. 6 FIG. 7 FIG. 8

FIG. 9 FIG. I0 FIG. II

INVENTUR. JAMES V. BURGESS,JR.

wJAn-nB mam ATTORNEYS CROSS REFERENCES Alternate methods of supporting and installing ventilation control curtains are by permanent attachment to mine support structures or by semiperrnanent attachment to mine support structures or by semipermanent attachment using apparatus as illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,947,239 entitled VENTILATION CONTROL SYSTEM, J. V. Burgess, and 3,118,363 entitled MINE VENTILATION CONTROL SYSTEM, J. V. Burgess, Jr., respectively.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The prime interest in mine ventilating systems is to direct as much ventilating air as close to the working face of the mine as possible. A second interest is to have a system composed of components which are most economically produced, reusable, and amenable to ease and flexibility of installation and removal.

The requirement of ventilating air is most critical in continuous mining operations using machines where the operation is fast moving. The ventilation system should be composed of components which can be quickly installed as the machine moves along, and at the same time, of a nature which allows for placement as close to the machine as possible.

The present invention improves on ventilation systems by a more economical approach to the system components, which components are more flexible in their installation and removal characteristics and are reusable.

SUMMARY The above objectives are achieved in the present invention by a mine ventilation system composed of resilient vertical supports for an extended surface web of flexible, substantially gas-impervious, sheet material. The supports are bowed out away from the mine rib by flexing them in placement between upper and lower wall. The bowed effect holds the curtain out away from the mine rib while the spring characteristic of the support exerts sufficient pressure against upper and lower wall, that is, roof and floor, to maintain both support and curtain in place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Principles and advantages of the invention, readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are set forth in the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the invention employed in an underground mine entry;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a support element with sheet material attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the support element within a sheet material pocket taken along line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of attaching the support element to the associated sheet material;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a support element illustrating a further modified form of attaching the support element to the associated sheet material;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the support element and sheet material illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of a support element of the type illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an end view of the support element illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the end of a support element nailed to the mine roof;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary exploded elevational view of a support element composed of two basic pieces; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary end view of the support element illustrated in FIG. l0.

2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a typical mine entry in which a ventilation system is shown installed. The system consists of a series of flexible support elements 10 suitably spaced along the length of the entry and sprung between roof [4 and floor 16. The supports are placed between the entry rib I8 and an extended surface which bow puts a stress of flexible, substantially gas-impervious, sheet material 12. The sheet material 12 and entry rib 18 form a passage for directing the path of ventilating airflow. The support elements 10 are bowed when in place, which bow puts a stress on the support elements 10 resulting in each support element 10 exerting force on both the roof [4 and floor 16. With the pointed ends 28 of the support element 10 penetrating both roof I4 and floor 16 by jabbing, pounding, or liketype forceful techniques upon installation, the force exerted by the support element 10 is sufficient to hold it in place and resist reasonable torsional forces which tend to rotate the support about its vertical axis. Naturally, the support element 10 must be longer than the height of the entry into which it is placed for it to function in this manner. Further, the support element 10 must be flexed upon installation in the entry and in order to prestress it. But this is the complete installation operation; simply flexing the support element 10 and making certain the ends penetrate.

The ventilation system is completed by the extended surface web of flexible, substantially gas-impervious, sheet material 12 being attached to the support elements 10. Attachment can be before or after the support element 10 is installed. Ideally, the sheet material 12 should extend from floor 16 to roof 14 to effectuate a relatively tight sea] from one side of the sheet material 12 to the other. A tight seal is not necessary to make the system function, but the system efficiency increases with the tightness of the seal. The sheet material 12 preferred for this use is fire-resistant or fire-retardant material, as those containing chlorine in their composition; for example, vinyl chloride polymers and copolymers, polyvinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymers and the like, or those containing fire-retardant components such as tricresyl phosphate or chlorinated compounds, because of the greater safety provided by such materials. Other materials of a thin plastic sheet film or like flexible characteristic may be used. Any of the sheet materials used could further be reinforced by ribbing, cord filaments or the like.

In the typical embodiment of the invention, attachment of the sheet material 12 to the support element 10 is accomplished by slipping the support element 10 into a pocket in the sheet material 12. In FIG. 2, the pocket is illustrated as consisting of a sheet of cover material 20 being sewn to the extended surface sheet material 12, which cover material 20 extends over the height of the extended surface sheet material 12. The typical embodiment would incorporate identical material to the sheet material, but other suitable materials can be used, even elastic, rubber, leather, or metallic materials. The cover material 20 is wide enough to cover the support element I0 and leave enough overlap for stitching on both sides of the support element. The pocket formed is further illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the support element 10 is positioned within the pocket formed by the sheet material 12 and cover material 20, when sewn together by stitching 13. This view is a section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2. This pocket, in the typical embodiment of the invention, would be formed in the factory and the support elements 10 placed in the pocket at point of use. Stitching would be treated to maintain the extended surface sheet material 12 gas impervious. The invention is not limited by the attachment means described in the typical embodiment, but any other attachment means known in the art may be used, e.g., the pocket illustrated in FIG. 2 may be segmented over its length rather than continuous, it could be snapped on instead of sewn on, or attached by adhesive means. A pocket need not be used at all; the sheet material 12 could simply be tied to the support element 10 with cord, wire, or liketype'fastener 22 (see FIG. 4). The snapping or tightening methods of attachment lend themselves to a field operation by attachment of the cover material 20 to sheet material 12 being accomplished at the point of use. Another example of attachment of sheet material 12 to support element I is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein hooks 24 are incorporated into the support element and grommets 26 are attached to the sheet material 12. With hooks 24 placed at the top and bottom of the support element 10, as illustrated, the sheet material 12 is stretched over the effective length of the support element 10 when the bottom grommet 26 is placed over the bottom hook 24 and the top grommet 26 is placed over the top hook 24.

The support element 10 in the typical embodiment is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 7 and 8, which illustrate an elevational view and end view, respectively, of a support element in a relaxed position. The ends 28 illustrated are pointed to facilitate penetration into a roof l4 and floor 16, sewing as a bearing surface to roof 14 and floor 16. The support element 10 in the typical embodiment is made of spring steel. It may be made of materials other than spring steel which have a like resilience. The cross section and width of the support element 10 are determined by the required strength of the support balanced against increased cost of the material and difficulty of manufacture. While the typical embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is of a rectangular cross section, he invention is not limited to this section; it could be round, oval, square, a circular segment, tubular or like-type shape. It should be noted that the rectangular section does have the additional feature of resisting rotation about the vertical axis of the support element l0, and a higher section modules in a direction 90 to the direction of the force exerted against the flexure in the support element 10. These features make the rectangular section in the support element it) ideal for end supports which are those supports to which the tail or leading ends of the sheet material 12 are attached.

While the support element 10 in FIGS. 7 and 8 is shown straight in its relaxed position, this preferred embodiment of the invention could also be curved slightly in the relaxed position, to make initial flexure upon installation easier, or any other convenient shape which retains resilience. The bow created in the support element 10 by flexure upon installation is important; in addition to the anchoring efiect it applies to the ends 28 contacting roof l4 and floor 16, it provides a substantially rigid nonfluttering support for the sheet material from a lightweight member. Further, the bowed support element is exceptionally effective in preventing collapse of the sheet material 12 against the entry rib 18 which force is created by the pressure differential between supply and return air against the sheet material 12, which divides the higher pressure supply air from the lower pressure return air. This problem is accentuated as the air volume and, therefore, the air velocity is increased in the mine passages, since pressure varies in direct proportion to the velocity of the air.

The typical embodiment of the invention incorporates pointed ends 28 on the support elements 10 which help achieve penetration of the ends into roof l4 and floor 16, resulting in attachment of the support element 10 to the mine entry. FIG. 9 illustrates another method of attaching the support element 10 to the mine entry. FIG. 9 is an exploded fragmentary view of a closed end loop 30 attached to the roof 14 by a nail 31 or spad driven into the roof 14 after having been passed through the support element loop 30. Still another means of attachment would be simply by friction between loop 30 and roof l4. Naturally, the same concepts can be applied to the bottom connection, but a nail connection at the top or bottom only may be sufficient in a given case. Suoh connection may be necessitated where conditions in the mine entry are unfavorable to support end penetration or create exceptional torsional forces on the support element. End loop shapes may be other than pointed 28 or looped 30, e.g., square, rectangular, or any other functional shape. The same can be said for end loop 30 surfaces which can-be barbed, abraided, abrasive coated, etc.

Further, it is anticipated that the length of the support element 10 may be varied to increase the versatility of the element by making it adaptable to a range of mine entry heights. One method of varying the length of the support element 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and II, with the support element 10 broken into two basic parts; a top piece 32 and bottom piece 34. FIG. I0 is a fragmentary elevational view of the top 32 and bottom 34 pieces, assembled, and FIG. 11 is an end view of the assembly in FIG. 10 which illustrates the assembly in the stressed condition. A tab 36 on the top piece is matched with one of a series of holes in the bottom piece 34. With the support element stressed, the top piece 32 is forced against the buckle 38 attached to the bottom piece 34, creating a counterclockwise couple on the top piece 32 about the buckle 38. The couple maintains the tab 36 in the hole, resulting in a rigid structure. When the stress is taken off the support element 10, the couple disappears and the tab 36 can readily be removed. With the tab 36 removed, the top 32 and bottom 34 pieces can be easily adjusted to change the support element length by selecting a hole on the bottom piece 34 closer to the buckle 38 for increased length, and vice versa, for decreased length. Other methods of adjusting length include tongue and groove assemblies, a tube in a tube, and tongues in a sleeve or sleeves.

The invention represented by the typical embodiment is a unique ventilating system in its simplicity of operation and installation as well as removal. Being removable, the whole system is reusable. Its flexibility makes it ideal for use in cramped spaces such as when a mining machine is used in a mine entry where the top of the vein being mined is close to the floor. In such shallow spaces and lick-type cramped spaces, the ventilating system described and illustrated herein will allow the system components to be placed in the entry as a mining machine is moved forward and to direct ventilating air into the entry which then transverses the working face of the mine where the air is most needed. The flexibility of component installation will allow the ventilating system to be advanced at a rapid pace, thereby keeping up with the mining machines fast pace.

From the above description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention has produced a ventilation control system which is extremely economical, as well as durable, fire resistant, moisture proof, a nonconductor of electricity, resistant to acid, grease and oil, and exceptionally adaptable for rapid installation, removal and subsequent reuse. Further, the system is ideal for use in cramped quarters and will make a significant contribution to the safety of mining operations by militating against the passage of harmful gases and dust to undesired areas of the mine while insuring a proper supply of ventilating air to the personnel in the mine working areas.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and mode of operation ofthe in vention, and have illustrated and described in the typical embodiment what is considered its best embodiment. It is understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described in the typical embodiment and accom panying alternatives herein.

Iclaim:

1. A ventilating system for providing an incoming and outgoing flow path of ventilating air through a mine entry and across the working face of a mine working, said system comprising:

a plurality of elongate, resilient support members provided with end means adapted to contact the floor and ceiling of said mine entry and fixedly secure said members therebetween in a bowed position;

an extended flexible sheet material adapted to be attached at spaced intervals to said support members,and adapted to be drawn taut when said members are in a bowed position;

means for attaching said sheet. material to said support members;

members are provided with adjustable means to vary the length thereof.

4. The ventilating system of claim I wherein said attaching means comprises grommets on said sheet material adapted to engage attaching means on said support members.

5. The ventilating system of claim I wherein said attaching means comprise pockets in said sheet material adapted to receive said support members.

l 1. i l t 

1. A ventilating system for providing an incoming and outgoing flow path of ventilating air through a mine entry and across the working face of a mine working, said system comprising: a plurality of elongate, resilient support members provided with end means adapted to contact the floor and ceiling of said mine entry and fixedly secure said members therebetween in a bowed position; an extended flexible sheet material adapted to be attached at spaced intervals to said support members, and adapted to be drawn taut when said members are in a bowed position; means for attaching said sheet material to said support members; whereby said extended flexible sheet material and said resilient members are installable continuously along and bowed away from a sidewall of said mine entry up to said working face to thereby divide said mine entry into two passageways providing a flow path of ventilating air therethrough.
 2. The ventilating system of claim 1 wherein said end means of said support members comprise penetrating means.
 3. The ventilating system of claim 1 wherein said support members are provided with adjustable means to vary the length thereof.
 4. The ventilating system of claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprises grommets on said sheet material adapted to engage attaching means on said support members.
 5. The ventilating system of claim 1 wherein said attaching means comprise pockets in said sheet material adapted to receive said support members. 